Miracolo Primo
by Eumoiriety
Summary: Dame-Tsuna, they called him, and though he ducked his head ashamedly to the misnomer he honestly didn't care.  In the end it was all just stupid names and titles, and only the truth mattered in the end. Tsuna knew full well who he was and what he needed to do: that is, until Reborn and the rest of the gang entered the picture.  Dark!Tsuna, Family!GoM
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or Kuroko no Basket.**

* * *

"Tsuna, pass."

Even as he heard the words, his hands were in motion, shooting upwards just in time to prevent the basketball from slamming into his face.

Tsuna sighed inwardly. Sometimes, it almost seemed like the imbeciles on his team _wanted_ to smash his face in with the basketball, not that he would dismiss the idea. At the very least, if they were trying hard to pass properly, they were failing tragically. It was rather sad, really, considering that there were other players out there whose skills were absolutely ridiculous.

As soon as the ball touched his palm, Tsuna pivoted on his foot and dashed down the court. Someone on the opposing team stepped in front of him, trying to block his path, but he merely feinted to the left and slipped past his right. Frustrated shouts followed him as he tossed the ball into the air; the ball hit the backboard and bounced easily into the net.

The rest of his team clapped appreciatively, and Tsuna bit back a scowl. None of them were so friendly off the court, not that he cared. The "Dame-Tsuna" that everybody knew was simply a mask. An act, a pretense, in order for him not to be found and suspected. He could care less about what others thought of him, as long as his identity would remain a secret.

Pretending to be a complete loser, except on court, did have its merits.

* * *

Basketball wasn't very popular among the students of Namimori Middle. True, they had a team, but every single person in the school knew that it sucked.

Despite this, the Namimori basketball team was still familiar of Teiko Middle's team. Almost every school with a basketball team, no matter how small it was, had heard of the legendary Generation of Miracles. They were feared and revered throughout the country, and had earned quite a reputation within the last two years since their formation.

Naturally, the entire school was shocked when it was suddenly announced that _Teiko _had requested a practice game against their third-rate team. The entirety of Namimori was thrown into uproar at the thought. What could the legendary group ever want out of a stupid, pathetic game? Everybody on Namimori's team who had watched the Generation of Miracles play knew that they would be utterly destroyed. In fact, Tsuna suspected that even if he played all-out, the team would be unable to score a single point.

So it was truly a mystery why Teiko would even bother to visit Namimori, even for a practice match.

There was much speculation considering this. Some thought that they just wanted to show off, while others believed that they wanted to see how regular sports teams were doing. No one was certain about the reasoning behind this, though, and eventually they all gave up.

The match was scheduled to be held in two days. And in those two days, everything would begin.

* * *

Tsuna woke up early that morning.

The neighborhood near the Sawada residence was deceptively quiet. To the normal person, it would seem that everybody was still asleep. It would make sense; after all, it was merely five in the morning. But Tsuna knew that in fact, _nobody_ was asleep—nobody was there to sleep at all.

Unwilling to lay any longer on his mattress, Tsuna climbed off and stretched leisurely. He had plenty of time until school started, and he supposed that he should get up and take his traditional morning jog.

After changing into a loose shirt and shorts, he slipped out of the house and out into the streets. When he closed his eyes he could feel the soft flicker of flames that emanated from the neighboring homes. Satisfied that the flames would do their continued work, Tsuna turned and headed down the road at a steady, paced jog.

As he ran, he saw another teen from his school: Yamamoto Takeshi, the baseball star that all of the girls on campus seemed to fawn over. Tsuna forced a genial smile on his face as he jogged past him, and his greeting was returned with equal enthusiasm. Yamamoto always passed by his house every morning in his morning jog routine, similar to how Tsuna always passed the restaurant known as 'Takesushi.' Occasionally they decided to run together, but most of the time they were fine with simply acknowledging each other's existence.

For today, though, he wasn't interested in associating with another human being, so they merely continued on with their own paths. When he returned back to his home twenty minutes later, somebody was standing outside of his home, inserting a letter into the mailbox. Tsuna hissed in shock as he recognized the baby that was delivering the mail, the fedora and the sideburns were unmistakeable.

Reborn had finally arrived.

Apparently, the Vongola had finally begun to make its long-awaited move, though he found it rather annoying that they had chosen _now _of all times. With the basketball game looming around the corner, life was about to get messy, without counting the arrival of the world's greatest hitman.

Wiping his face blank of emotion, he approached the house as naturally as possible. Reborn saw him approaching, of course he did, and with a tilt of his head the baby regarded him coolly. If he was surprised to see him the arcobaleno show it, to his credit.

Tsuna smiled amicably, letting his arms dangle harmlessly in a subtle but effective gesture. "Do you need something?"

Reborn frowned, and Leon skittered across the top of the fedora. "You are Sawada Tsunayoshi," he said, and Tsuna nodded in a quiet confirmation. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I was jogging," the brunet divulged brusquely, and he approached the door and opened it with a twist of his silver keys. "Please, come in."

* * *

His first impression was that the house was dark and cold: the lights weren't on, and the dawning sunlight was far from sufficient in lighting up the hall. The entire building seemed empty and forlorn, as if it hadn't been touched in weeks.

Reborn didn't know what to make of it. Back at the Vongola headquarters, Iemitsu never shut up about Nana and his adorable son, day in and day out. From what he had said, Reborn had expected the Sawada home to be relaxing, warm, and comfortable, but looking at it now his assumption couldn't have been more inaccurate.

Then there was the nagging at the back of his head. Years as a hitman had honed his intuition to a fault, and he had learned to trust his instincts through his experience. Right now his instincts were screaming 'danger,' and he was taking in everything that he could absorb at once. There was no other sound besides the soft intakes of breath from the brunet in front of him, not even the sound of footsteps that all normal civilians created as they moved. The silence unnerved him, and on instinct he urged Leon to morph into a gun, perusing the house warily.

Tsuna led him into the living room, and gestured Reborn to sit down, and after a brief hesitation he complied.

"…So, who are you?" Tsuna said, leaning back in his seat.

Reborn pulled the fedora lower on his head. The way the brunet carried himself reminded Reborn of not an innocent boy, but rather an experienced fighter. He could see it in the calculative glint in the sorrel eyes, and in the relaxed yet ready position that Tsuna had settled himself. A second's warning would be all that Tsuna needed to launch into action.

"My name is Reborn," he answered, settling himself into a similar position with the gun in his hand, "and I am here to make you the tenth boss of the Vongola famiglia."

The smallest flicker of recognition and—was it triumph?—flashed through the brunet's gaze, but a moment later the look had been replaced with a bland, confused smile. Tsuna frowned, his eyebrows furrowed, "Famiglia? Is that the mafia?"

"Right."

"Sure," Tsuna snorted sardonically. "Look, Reborn—I don't know what game you're playing, but go play with your other kiddy toys. All you are is a Mafioso wanna-be. Get out of your suit and your stupid fake gun, and drop your silly imagination."

Before he had finished speaking, Reborn had hopped onto his lap and pressed the barrel to the center of his forehead. "I'm not kidding," Reborn said genially. "This gun is very real. Would you like me to prove it to you?"

Tsuna smirked knowingly. "You won't shoot, Reborn."

Reborn's eyes narrowed; Tsuna _was_ the last remaining heir to the Vongola, and Nono would be upset to know that Reborn had killed the last sensible candidate (Xanxus didn't count). The tone which the sentence was said made it seem like Tsuna knew much more than he was letting on. Then again, it was laced with just the right amount of doubt and anxiety, so it could just be a desperate attempt to save his life…His intuition was leaning more to the first scenario, and he found himself lowering his fedora.

"Not at you," Reborn agreed, "not yet." But he pointed the gun at the window and tugged at the trigger. A single gunshot exploded in the silence, and the glass panes shattered and the jagged shards tumbled to the floor with a strident clatter.

Tsuna raised an eyebrow, "And that was necessary?"

"It wasn't." Tsuna was calm, too calm for his liking, Reborn thought disappointedly.

Grumbling, the brunet glared at him crossly. "You're paying for the window."

He ignored the demand. "In order to train you to Vongola Decimo, I will be setting up a pretext for your mother. I will be your 'home tutor,' like it says on this flyer." Reborn held up a copy of the sheet of paper he had inserted into the mailbox a few minutes ago. "Where is she?"

If Reborn hadn't been looking for a reaction, he would have missed it entirely. His face shuttered, closing off in the blink of an eye. But before he could focus more on the reaction the expression was gone, and he found himself staring at a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"She's in her room," Tsuna said mildly. "Would you like me to get her?"

Reborn eyed the teen warily and shook his head. No, it would do no good to wake her up at five in the morning. He needed her to agree with his proposal, and getting on her bad side would not allow him to do that.

Tsuna nodded, as if he expected that answer, and stood up with a brush of his pants before heading away. Reborn was tempted to follow, and made a move to do so when the boy suddenly turned around.

"Would you like some espresso?" the teen called over his shoulder, eyes flickering in amusement when he saw Reborn twitch, and he pulled his lips into a small playful pout. "You know, it's not as if I'm going to poison you. Not everybody's a Mafioso in this world."

Reborn huffed, relenting. "I'll take a cup."

"Well then, why don't you come to the dining room?"

Reborn shifted and got up to his feet, his eyes taking in everything around him. It was a small, well-organized room. A large table stood in the center, enough for at least eight people. Lining the walls were the stoves and cupboards, no doubt where the tableware were stored. Reborn hopped onto the table and wormed his way into a chair, which was suspiciously elevated so that he could reach the desk. Tsuna moved around the room with ease, opening and closing cupboards as he pulled out all of the necessary materials.

With a clatter, Tsuna placed the cup down in front of him, warm brown liquid swirling tantalizingly inside. "Oh, and by the way," Tsuna said as he headed for his own seat across the table, "tomorrow I will be meeting with some of my friends after school for a project. I won't be able to be home until perhaps nine."

Reborn frowned but agreed, gently lifting his cup to his lips. He blinked as the bittersweet taste filled his mouth.

It was delicious.

There were so many things that struck him as odd about the teen before him. There were his records, which claimed him to be boneless and no-good. There were his peers, who claimed him to be a failure in all aspects of life except for perhaps basketball. Then there were his teachers, who reported something similar: that Tsuna was a quiet, obedient teen who will never amount to anything throughout his life.

But Tsuna was acting completely different of his records. Reborn acknowledged that his grades were miserable, but he was far from boneless. No—he was assertive and playful, neither talkative nor silent. Tsuna was far from obedient, and that lack of fear was likely to give Reborn problems in the near future. He was independent, and undeniably charismatic—the features of a leader, of a boss, that Reborn had hoped to change the 'boneless teen' into. That wasn't part of the plan, but there wasn't anything that he could do about it. For now, all he could do was to watch and observe.

* * *

The day passed in silence.

Tsuna's mother woke up around six, and then Reborn had handed her the flyer, and Nana seemed extremely excited to have received such an offer for a tutor. It was inexpensive, and the only thing she needed to was to provide living quarters—something that Nana agreed to cheerfully.

Reborn followed Tsuna to school, deciding to watch and wait before making a move. The moment Tsuna stepped into the campus, he suddenly changed: the shoulders slouched, his head dropped, and his strides turned into shuffles. Nobody paid him much heed, and if they did it was to tease him.

In class, he was quiet and subdued. He bowed his head meekly when laughed at; he flushed with shame as the teachers berated him. It was such a perfect facade that Reborn wouldn't have known that Tsuna was acting if not for his previous actions.

Reborn was tempted to try to shoot Tsuna with the dying will bullet, but decided against it. He wasn't sure how Tsuna would react to the gun quite yet, and his intuition was saying that he would regret shooting him. He trusted this instinct and acted upon it, although his suspicion against Tsuna only rose.

At the very least, at the end of the day, Reborn could say that he found great candidates. Gokudera Hayato was coming from Italy the following day, and the Lambo brat from the Bovino was bound to try to kill him soon. He already found potential candidates for the rain, sun, and cloud wandering around Namimori High, though he still needed a mist. Although he didn't get very far with interacting with Tsuna, he felt that it was a fairly productive day.

But it wasn't enough. Tsuna was a very good actor, more than Reborn would like to give him credit for, and that worried him. He didn't know why Tsuna would choose such a life. He didn't know why Tsuna would hide his obvious intellect, or his true personality. A normal person would have nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

Whatever Tsuna was hiding from him, it was big.

Reborn didn't forget Tsuna's declaration to him about having to meet some friends. After school, he let Tsuna go reluctantly. He had considered trying to follow Tsuna to see who he would meet, but Tsuna had already managed to catch all of his spying during school, and even _waved_ at the camera that he had planted in the classroom.

Of course, he had considered following Tsuna to see how the project would go; he had already confirmed that there _was_ a project like the paranoid hitman that he was. But Tsuna's glare at the twentieth camera made it clear that he knew and disliked being watched like a criminal. So Reborn let him go, unwilling to chance another crack in their relationship so early in the game.

* * *

Tsuna stretched leisurely as he walked down the street.

He felt so free and relaxed, now that he was away from everybody's calculative gazes. He hated having to live with his acting, but there just wasn't a way around it. If he suddenly started acting and talking differently then people would start questioning, which was something that he'd rather avoid.

It hadn't helped that Reborn had finally arrived. He had been expecting the baby for weeks now, and the wait had put him on edge. Part of his mind was grateful that Reborn had finally decided to appear, but the other half was really annoyed.

Tsuna checked his watch, noting that it was around four in the afternoon. His 'friends' would have already arrived in Namimori, and was already waiting for him in the hotel. He had changed out of his school uniform, so he wouldn't be as easily recognizable, and had stored his clothes in his backpack. Like always, he had taken precautions, only taking the crowded routes. It was less conspicuous compared to walking through a narrow alley, where no boy should be walking, and the regular shoppers around him also masked his presence.

Tsuna's pulse began to race as he felt the slide of energy against his skin. He subtly ignited his ring, signifying his presence, and felt the flames shift in acknowledgement; he was close, he knew it, and when he turned the corner the sight confirmed it.

The hotel was large, easily ten stories tall and hundreds of feet wide. It was painted a soft peach, the color of his skin. Hundreds of windows flashed at him, some hiding behind the railings of the balconies. From the outside, it looked just like a normal hotel—which it was, Tsuna thought, except that it was a hotel for the rich.

Tsuna walked in, straightening his posture, ignoring the suspicious stares of the residents (who were all dressed in suits or dresses—honestly, he thought in exasperation, they could dress normally like other citizens once in a while). The lady behind the desk looked at him blankly, taking in his semi-formal appearance, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It couldn't have been helped; if he had dressed formally then he wouldn't have blended in with the shoppers, not at all.

"How may I help you?"

Tsuna flashed a winning smile, leaning against the counter. "I'm here to meet my friends. They are registered under the name 'Sei.'"

"They are in room 304. Third floor up, fourth door to the right. Please enjoy your stay."

"Thank you." Tipping his head in a nod of thanks, he turned and headed up the elevator. Soon he found himself standing in front of a plain-looking door, the number displayed prominently on the placard, and took a deep breath before knocking. Not a minute passed before the door was pulled open. Pink hair greeted him, and the girl in the doorway beamed.

"Tsuna-kun!" Momoi exclaimed in shock. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"I wanted to surprise you," he answered warmly, and she nodded before pulling the door open wider so that he could step inside.

The room was furnished nicely. There were three couches, all occupied as the most of the occupants stared avidly at the television screen. One of them was splayed out across an entire couch, sleeping with a tanned arm draped over his face. From his angle, Tsuna couldn't tell what was playing, but he could tell that it was good if it managed to keep Akashi's attention, of all people.

At Momoi's voice, the redhead lifted the remote and muted the sound. Two red eyes fastened on him.

"Tsunayoshi," Akashi said.

All of the occupants turned toward Tsuna, instantly bombarding him with voices.

"Aw, did you have to come now of all times?" Kise whined. His arms were crossed over his chest, his lips pulled into a playful pout. "It was just getting good!"

"Ah, just shut up," Aomine grumbled irritably. He lifted himself from the otherwise empty couch and glared at the blond. "You're too loud."

"My horoscope says that today will be a particularly good day for Cancers," Midorima said. "I see now why that is."

"Do you have anything to eat, Tsuna-chin?" Murosakibara asked hopefully.

Tsuna smiled. Some things never changed.

"How are you all doing?" Tsuna asked cheerily as he walked in, dropping his backpack to the ground by the entrance. "Are you holding up well?"

Akashi moved forward, red eyes gleaming eerily. "We're all fine. Why are you here? We didn't expect you until tomorrow."

"I have news. Reborn's made his move," Tsuna explained. "He has come to notify me of being the next heir to the Vongola. He now lives in Sawada residence, with my 'mom.' Kuroko-kun,, I know your illusions are affected by distance and concentration. They have been holding recently, but no matter what, we can't let them falter now that Reborn is with me. Can your illusions hold up?"

"Of course he can!" Kise interjected playfully. "Kurokocchi's not a famous illusionist for nothing!"

Tsuna ignored him, and Kise began to pout like a child. "Kuroko-kun?"

"I can hold them," Kuroko answered.

Tsuna nodded in satisfaction. "I need you all to be careful tomorrow before, during, and after the game," Tsuna warned. "We do not know each other. It would cause too many unnecessary questions. Tomorrow, we are nothing but strangers. However, just because I will not approach you does not mean that Reborn won't. Reborn's bound to look for you, because you are so uniquely talented. Hell, he may even ask you to join the Vongola."

"No way that's happening," Aomine muttered.

"Even if it does happen, we'll turn down the offer," Akashi said coldly. "And if Reborn persists…I'll introduce him to my scissors."

Tsuna leaned back and sighed. "Of course you will. I trust that none of you would even consider accepting the proposal. We're already our own famiglia, after all. But no matter what, don't underestimate Reborn. He's not the number one hitman in the world for nothing. So far it's the lack of information keeping my identity a secret, but that won't last for long. Even so, he needs me alive. It's not the same for you. If he becomes aware of who you are and your connection with me, you'll be killed. If you underestimate him, it'll be the last mistake you will ever make. Be careful, everyone."

Multicolored sets of eyes stared back at him solemnly, and he felt a small surge of pride. He cared for them, he truly did—much more than he had than for anybody else.

"But Reborn's the same, too," Kise suddenly said.

"What are you talking about?" Midorima asked.

"If Reborn underestimates you, it will be the last mistake that he will ever make. None of us here are without motivation. We're all fully willing to commit to our goal—to annihilate the Vongola." His grin suddenly looked sinister.

"Isn't that right, _Miracolo Primo_?"

Tsuna smirked, a dark glint coming into his eyes. "It's not just me. If Reborn underestimates _any _of you, he'll be in for the shock of his life. None of you are a part of the Generation of Miracles—the Miracolo Famiglia—for no reason…

"And if he does…the Vongola will all die, by my hand."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **it is called 'fanfiction' for a reason.

* * *

"…That being said," Akashi said slowly, "why are you here?"

Tsuna smiled softly to himself; trust Akashi to get straight to the point. It seemed like his proclamation had not taken any of the guardians by surprise. Deep inside he knew that Akashi and the other members of the so-dubbed 'Generation of Miracles' had expected for him to make a move soon, but the thought of not being able to see their stunned faces made him want to huff. Many of them were difficult to read, even for Tsuna—Kuroko's impassive expression and Akashi's watchful gaze were always far too inscrutable for his liking.

He focused his gaze on the model, who met his eyes expectantly. "Actually, I have a request for Kise-kun."

Kise stared. "Me?"

Tsuna resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, you. You _are_ the newest member after all. I would like you to exterminate the Momokyokai, a local yakuza group in Namimori. The Momokyokai isn't a threat, but it'd be better if they were out of the picture permanently."

The blond stood up quickly. "I'll go get my things—"

Tsuna shook his head slightly. "Not now. I was hoping you would terminate them when you are about to leave. Killing them now would be cluing Reborn into your identities. At least, hold off your plans until after the game."

Kise wilted and sat back down with a mild pout, ignoring the sigh from Aomine and the continuous crunch of chips from Murasakibara. Tsuna hid a small grin; Kise's enthusiasm was refreshing when juxtaposed against Kuroko's indifference and Aomine's laziness. Though, there were times when he found the zeal annoying, especially when it hampered the blond's ability to think and strategize.

Smoothing his features into a leisurely mask, Tsuna turned around with a casual air and leaned against the door. "Akashi-kun, how has their training been?"

"Satisfactory," the redhead answered, "though Ryouta is still sloppy."

"Hm? Make sure he improves then; that's your job, after all." Lifting his gaze, Tsuna gestured for Momoi to come over to him, and she hastily obeyed. With her silky pink hair trailing long and far behind her, she bounced over and peered at him curiously. Turning back to the waiting guardians, he called, "Kise-kun, Momoi-san will gather the data on the Momokyokai for you. Based on the data, I want you to pick a weapon that you are unfamiliar with and learn how to use it for future use." Out of all the guardians, Kise was the fastest at developing new techniques, as long as he watched another person in action first. Sadly it seemed to be his only talent, but it was a useful one nonetheless. In fact, the main reason why Tsuna had accepted Kise as a guardian was because of the sheer speed that Kise learned. Within the first few weeks of his admission into the famiglia, Kise had managed to master knife-throwing to an extent that one would have thought that he had spent his entire life practicing how to aim and throw. Such talent was rare these days, and Tsuna was proud to have discovered and united a group of such accomplished individuals.

Even though he was their undisputed leader, he found himself wary of the guardians' abilities. They were constantly developing, constantly improving. If he didn't push himself hard, then the Miracolo Guardians could easily overtake him in skill. For that, Tsuna was glad that they were his allies and practically owed him their lives. Life debts were difficult to repay, even in the worst of circumstances.

Kise nodded and latched onto Momoi's arm. "Ne, let's go already, I want to learn about my job."

Momoi gave him the Look. "We have time, you don't have to rush."

Tsuna found himself grinning softly at the scene. At times, while assigning tasks, he found himself feeling the slightest pang of pity for his enemies. He himself never wanted to cross any of his guardians on the battlefield in a fight to the death.

* * *

Reborn was waiting for him when he got home, standing beside the front gate as he approached. When the brunet got within range the hitman hopped easily onto his shoulder. The overlarge fedora nudged lightly against Tsuna's ears, tickling, and he allowed a small smile to grace his face.

"I take it the project went well?"

"Yes." Tsuna pulled open the front door and headed to his room. Once there he dropped his backpack unceremoniously onto the ground before sitting on his bed, careful not to move too much to cause Reborn to fall from his spot.

Reborn shifted slightly, pushing the rim of the fedora deeper against his head, and Tsuna suppressed a grumble of irritation. "Yes, as in you'll get a good grade, or yes, as in you'll receive a passing grade?"

Tsuna lifted his shoulders slightly in a shrug. "Not sure. Passing grade, maybe."

"Let me see it."

Thankfully Tsuna had been prepared for such an order; he wasn't stupid, he knew that Reborn would be suspicious of his movements and could use his status as a tutor to poke around a bit. He wasn't reckless enough to come up with a lie if he did not have such an assignment due in the first place. But he had finished it a while ago, before Reborn had arrived, and it was still sitting in its spot in his backpack.

Reborn jumped off of his shoulder onto the soft mattress, allowing the brunet to move around more, and he rolled his shoulders in relief. Reaching down he rustled through his bag before he found what he wanted and pulled it out. He passed the report to his tutor, who looked at it warily before accepting it and moved away to pick it apart, word by word.

As Reborn began to read, Tsuna moved towards the door. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Espresso."

He closed the door silently behind him.

The hallways were bright and lit, and every movement sent new shadows flickering across the walls. Tsuna moved down the stairs quietly, as if to not make a sound, and when he approached the last step he paused. His senses tingled slightly, marking the presence of flames in the kitchen, and he smiled. Kuroko's illusions were working perfectly; not even Reborn seemed to have realized what exactly was wrong with the family. With a suppressed laugh he stepped into the kitchen, where his mother was cooking food.

"Tsu-kun!" Nana called as he approached. The aroma of freshly cooked food wafted to his nose, and he breathed appreciatively. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, what do you need?"

"I can take care of it, it's just espresso." He grabbed a cup. "I'll be fine."

She nodded and returned to cooking.

A few minutes later he reentered his room, the steaming cup in his hands. Reborn was in the same place where he had left him moments ago, merely lifting his eyes in acknowledgement of his presence.

"Would you like me to taste-test it?" Tsuna teased as he passed the drink over. Reborn glared at him, a scowl crossing his face, before he sipped and relaxed on the bed. "Like it?"

"It's good," the baby admitted reluctantly. With his free hand he gestured at the scattered report. "And the paper is passable. Spelling errors here and there, grammar is wrong, paper doesn't entire address the prompt, lacking images to go with the explanation, but passable."

"Good enough." Tsuna sat down at the edge of his bed and rubbed his eyes, and then tensed. He rolled his eyes upward in his head until he was staring directly into the barrel of Reborn's gun.

Strangely enough the sadistic grin seemed almost natural on the small baby. "Not good enough," Reborn stated, glad to have any reason to try to shoot him. "Rewrite it, make sure to correct all of the mistakes that you intentionally made. Or at the very least you could look like you tried. What were you doing with your friends, chatting?"

"Guilty as charged," he yawned. Reborn twitched in irritation as he ignored the weapon completely and collected the papers, and the gun followed him around the room as he fetched his computer. "But you are a little paranoid, don't you think? I'm not going to blow up the room."

"Maybe I am, but it's better safe than sorry." Tsuna raised an eyebrow, so Reborn did suspect him for something, but he didn't comment as he pulled the document to the forefront of his screen. He set the laptop onto his lap and began to edit the paper.

Twenty minutes later he flipped the screen to Reborn, who approved of it before he selected print. From the corner of his room the printer stirred into action, sucking up pieces of paper and pressing ink concisely onto the sheets.

As he collected and stapled the assignment he noted that Reborn's gaze hadn't left him the entire time.

* * *

The basketball game went exactly as he expected. Teiko dominated the game, running laps around all of the players until they gave up altogether and stood still. From the sidelines Tsuna could see their depression and frustration, which was mirrored slightly on the Teiko's team's members, because it was torture for the Generation of Miracles too to have to play against such irresolute people.

Of course Namimori's basketball team had tried to recruit Tsuna to play, but he had declined. The basketball team had tried again and again, first with pleading then threats then bribes, but he turned them down and made it clear that he had no intention of participating. If he played Teiko, then out of respect he would have been inclined to go all-out. Though Akashi and the others knew of his situation in Namimori, it still would have been disrespectful to willfully throw the game.

While basketball was merely a hobby for them, it was one that they enjoyed, and Tsuna didn't want to start a fight because he insulted them by forfeiting. The bonds that held the Miracolo Famiglia were fairly strong, but Tsuna didn't want to test them, since anything could go wrong before they launched their attack on the Vongola. If he had known originally that basketball would be such a large part of their lives then he would have suggested another sport, because they had taken the sport to another level of extreme in the competitive field. The Miracolo Famiglia didn't need that sort of fame, not yet. The entire world seemed to be stalking Teiko's movements, and it was difficult for Tsuna to order them to do anything without someone noticing.

Which was why he knew that Reborn was watching them carefully. Reborn was no idiot, definitely not, so naturally he was suspicious of why a well-known team was playing against a third-rate school. It wasn't as if Reborn would find much though—at least, Reborn wouldn't find anything unless they talked to the members of the team themselves—because it had been Akashi who 'persuaded' the coach into coming to the school. Not that the coach would admit it, because he needed Akashi to not be expelled or something of the like, and he didn't want to seem weak in front of the entire team and world.

Then the game ended, 354-0, to Tsuna's everlasting amusement. Namimori's basketball team would be disbanding soon due to lack of skill and motivation; after such a disastrous match, he doubted that any member could bear to look at the court anymore. Even as they were lining up the seniors were beginning to cry.

How pitiful.

Tsuna moved from the bleachers, politely congratulating Momoi and Kuroko (who was benched, apparently he hadn't needed to play) and her team as he brushed past, and made his way out the gym door. Someone was waiting for him; he could feel the gaze piercing his back, but he didn't turn around. As he walked away he surreptitiously led the stalker to a more remote place, where no one but Reborn and perhaps the Teiko team could find him. But the Miracolo Famiglia wouldn't interfere. He had made his orders clear.

Tsuna walked until he was behind the school. Most of the people were in a daze after watching the one-sided game, and wouldn't approach the area until much later. Those that were moving around would head for the classrooms, do something, but not approach him. No, they would either be spreading rumors about the amazingness of the Teiko players or the incompetence of the Namimori players; no one would pay him any heed.

"You can come out now."

There was a mutter followed by a stream of curses, and then a silver-haired man stepped out from behind a building. Rings decorated his hands; from his lips a cigarette smoked. He was the type of person that anyone would have labeled as a delinquent, from his petty scowl to the narrowed glare to the stance and posture. Hands shoved in pockets, evil glare fastened on his face—to an experienced Mafioso, it was very unimpressive.

"Gokudera Hayato," Tsuna greeted casually. "Is there anything you want from me?"

"If an idiot likes you becomes the Tenth, then the Vongola's done with."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow, so it was about the Vongola. He should have known, really, that Reborn would pull something like this. His intuition was telling him that Reborn was, in fact, watching the entire exchange at the moment from the rooftop of the building behind him, but that was irrelevant. He needed to deal with the smoker first.

"And…?"

Gokudera scowled. "I refuse to accept it! I'm the one who should become the Tenth!"

How stupid, Tsuna thought, and he laughed. _He_ led a famiglia, eluded Reborn for a day now, so what was the bomber to complain? At the very least he hadn't played directly into Reborn's hands, like Gokudera was doing. Clearly the guy had a sense of self-inflated ego; Tsuna recognized the guy now as Smoking Bomb Hayato. He was a lone wolf, a fighter, just the type of person to be killed within seconds. He couldn't lead the Vongola—Gokudera would drive it to the ground within minutes.

Gokudera twitched, pulling out bombs from his pockets. "You dare laugh—"

"You're naïve," Tsuna said, pushing his own hands into his uniform's pockets. "Don't bother me again about this again, it's not worth my time." As he began to walk away, a gunshot smashed into the ground an inch from his foot, and he sighed.

Reborn drifted down from his spot on the roof with a parachute, smiling widely at his student's blatant irritation. "Ciaossu, Gokudera Hayato. As agreed, if you can kill Sawada Tsunayoshi then you can become the next successor of the Vongola."

Gokudera lit a handful of dynamite and threw them.

When Tsuna had guided Gokudera to the corner of the school, he hadn't been expecting the idiot to actually _use_ his bombs. It was as if the guy was trying to get the police, the authorities, anyone to crack down on him and cart him off to jail. Clearly the guy had no knowledge of 'subtlety,' if the bombs were any indication, and was far from being an assassin despite his affliction with the mafia.

Just the type of person to be killed within seconds.

He dodged the bombs with ease, stepping away just enough to make sure the explosion wouldn't catch him. Smoke filtered through the area, and he used it to his advantage; quietly he circled around to the bomber's blind spot, where he couldn't be spotted. When the smoke cleared Gokudera spun around, trying to spot his target, and as fast as a striking snake Tsuna grabbed the bomber and slammed him against the wall.

"So weak," he said lowly as he removed the cigarette and smashed it onto the ground. Without the flame the dynamite was useless; Gokudera seemed to recognize this because his face flushed, angry at being defeated so easily, and tried to move away.

"Let me go, you little—"

Tsuna lifted him up and slammed him again, this time ramming his head against the wall hard enough to see stars. "Listen to me, Gokudera Hayato. You're weak, you won't last a second in the mafia. If I were anyone else you would dead on the ground right now. Do you understand?"

Gokudera stared at him stonily.

"The mafia is cruel, merciless, and won't hesitate to kill you. If you keep this up you'll die. Stay out of the Vongola, and don't get further involved, before someone—" or Tsuna himself— "decides to dispose of you." With one last look he released Gokudera and began to walk away.

"Wait!"

Tsuna twitched, what did the bomber not understand about his wish to be left alone? He turned around, careful to keep the annoyance from his face, and stared down at the teen bowing shamelessly before him.

"What?"

"I"ll follow you anywhere, Tenth! When I first heard that the Tenth was a teenager like me, I wanted to test out your strength. But you're strong, and kind to warn me, and I'll place my life in your hands."

This was unexpected, annoyingly so. He didn't need a weak subordinate, especially from the Vongola side.

But…

But Reborn was there, watching him in anticipation, and having a follower did have its merits. If he needed it the blind faith that Gokudera was showing him now could come into use. No doubt that Gokudera wouldn't question his actions, if he believed that Tsuna always acted for the best, because after all Tsuna was strong and compassionate in the bomber's eyes.

So he smiled, one that didn't reach his eyes. "Okay. Welcome to the tenth generation Vongola family, Gokudera Hayato."

Gokudera beamed at the words, and Tsuna resisted the urge to laugh. So easily manipulated, the bomber was.

"I'll return to class now," Tsuna said absently.

And of course Gokudera jumped up, nearly bouncing in Tsuna's shadow, in the newly found admiration that he seemed to live in. Tsuna waved him away, Reborn too, stating that he had to use the bathroom. Thankfully Gokudera still had enough sense to know when he was unwanted, because if the bomber had insisted on following him then things would have become unnecessarily complicated.

As he made his way to the front gates something stirred in the shadows beside him. He could see the heterochromatic eyes staring from the darkness, and the blue-haired teen who was ready to hide the duo if it became necessary, though it took longer to spot the latter.

"Akashi-kun, Kuroko-kun, something wrong?"

"We heard the explosion," Akashi said shortly. "Kise wanted to check on you, and Aomine had to restrain him. The others are keeping him in check before he does something—unnecessary."

"The matter has been taken care of," Tsuna replied, answering the unspoken question. "Smoking Bomb Hayato is now a member of the Tenth Generation Vongola. Weak, loyal, easily exploitable. He'll be useful later."

Akashi frowned. "So Reborn's focused on gathering guardians. Any idea who's next?"

"A little."

Tsuna waited.

"We are returning to Teiko later," Kuroko said in his monotone. "Unless we are needed…"

Tsuna lifted his head slightly. "Don't, go back. It would attract too much attention otherwise. The whole world's watching your movements, Reborn's watching mine, and it'd be strange if you suddenly stayed."

"True," Akashi acknowledged with a frown, and they relapsed into silence.

All of them were discontent with the situation, but none of them said it. Tsuna trusted them to come up with a solution to the separation, one that hopefully would solve both issues, but for now they were content to remain quiet and observe the moving world.

* * *

Kudos to the first one who can correctly guess what exactly I'm hinting between the illusions and the problem in the Sawada residence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sylanica: **Things will diverge drastically as soon as I finish introducing all of the necessary characters. Because of this, I do not intend to have any pairings.

Special thanks to **ShamelessDilettante** for beta'ing!

* * *

Kise hummed to himself as he turned the corner of the street. There, he could see it now: the sign hung conspicuously above the door, glowing like neon lights to his trained eye. Momoi's information was always correct, as befitting of a hacker, especially trivial information at this level.

It was night, and the base was located in the most remote place possible in the quiet town of Namimori. Putting on the most disarming smile he could muster, he opened the door and stepped in.

"Who the hell are you?"

A large tattooed man glowered at him, crossing muscular arms across his chest as if to intimidate. Around him the other members of the Momokyokai stood up warily, keeping their eyes on him as they reached for their weapons. Kise perused them quickly; only around three of the twenty-something people in the room had weapons on them. They weren't even guns. This would be easy.

"What is a pretty boy like you doing here?" another man sneered, and Kise mentally frowned. So crude, he thought irritably, and he couldn't see why Sawadacchi cared at all if they were still living. But an order was an order, and his was to exterminate the yakuza gang.

"Guess," he said in a sing-song voice, slowly pulling out a gleaming knife. At least this time he had the foresight to wear something that he didn't care about; this was about to become messy. He couldn't help it though: he wasn't Midorimacchi, and he had been told to use the knives this time around.

The tattooed man—the leader, presumably—tightened his grip on a baseball bat. "You bastard—"

Kise's smirk darkened, slitting the man's throat before he could say another word. Blood spurted from the wound in an arc, splattering across his shirt.

The other members of the Momokyokai leapt forward, screaming in uproar, as the leader dropped to the ground gurgling. None of them paid the fallen leader any attention—he was dead anyway—and Kise narrowed his eyes as they approached. A man swung at him with a pipe, and he merely ducked out of the way, plunging the knife to the hilt into the other man's neck.

It only took a minute and three knives to eliminate every one of them. "So weak," he said, as he wiped the blood off of the blades on one of the dead men's pants. After slipping the blades into their respective sheathes on his belt he sighed, pulling out a phone and pressing it to his ear.

"_Hello?"_

"Sawadacchi," Kise greeted cheerfully, surveying the bodies in front of him. "I'm done."

"_Good,"_ the other boy said approvingly, _"well done, Kise-kun."_

A suffocating warmth built up in his chest, and he smiled.

* * *

Rubbing a hand through his messy hair, Tsuna let out a sigh of annoyance. It was morning, the day after the basketball game, and he had been up for hours already wondering what Akashi had decided to do. In fact, he hadn't gone to sleep the previous night, instead regulating his breathing as much as possible as he lay unmoving in his bed. He highly doubted that Reborn had bought his act though, because even he couldn't act that well, and Reborn was the number one hitman after all.

As he shifted, Reborn's nose-bubble popped, and the baby shifted in his makeshift hammock with an annoyed glare. Tsuna ignored him, glancing at the clock, before standing up and heading for the closet.

"Morning run," Tsuna said brusquely as he unceremoniously began to change out of his pajamas. "Are you coming?"

"Of course," Reborn said reprovingly, and the brunet rolled his eyes. Stupid question, he thought irritably, and with another exhalation he moved toward the door. Wordlessly Reborn hopped onto his head, fingers wrapping securely in his hair, and Tsuna waited until the infant was completely settled on his head. For Reborn's sake he moved as quietly as possible across the household, careful to muffle his footsteps as if not to wake the sleeping Nana.

The outside air was cold, and Tsuna began to jog with relish. The cold, crisp air did wonders to wake him up—not that he slept in the first place—and it left him feeling strangely energized. Warm huffs of air escaped his lips, forming white clusters in the air before fading away.

"Yo, Tsuna!" Like every other day Yamamoto appeared, wrapped in a similarly heavy jacket to buffer against the cold. Yamamoto flicked his eyes briefly to Reborn, who waved in response, before sidling up to the brunet and settling into his comfortable pace.

Tsuna watched him closely: for some reason the smile seemed forced today. Yamamoto seemed rather troubled about something, as if he wanted to talk but couldn't bring himself to. With a mental shrug he shoved the thought away from his mind. It really wasn't his concern, and if Yamamoto needed help then Yamamoto could tell him.

"Morning, Yamamoto-kun."

Yamamoto looked over him once more before fixing his gaze on Reborn. "Who's that? Your little brother?"

"My tutor."

"My name is Reborn," the infant offered, "and I'm a hitman."

Thankfully Yamamoto didn't question it and left the topic alone.

"Do you want to eat at my place this morning?" Yamamoto asked, a strangely serious light in his eyes. Tsuna appraised him carefully, letting no emotion show on his face as he considered his options.

So he settled for, "Can't." Reborn was sitting atop his head, and Nana was still waiting back at home. It'd be too troublesome to coordinate something so that Nana wouldn't be surprised and Reborn wouldn't become suspicious. A flash of dejection entered Yamamoto's gaze, and Tsuna added, "But if you want to talk to me then you can now."

The baseball player looked taken aback, but fixed another smile on his face.

"No, it's okay."

Tsuna and Reborn returned to his neighborhood at the brink of dawn. His eyes narrowed slightly; something had changed. Keeping his eyes focused in front of him he extended his senses until he could picture what was happening inside the neighboring houses. Flames flickered inside the buildings, and Tsuna frowned—an illusion? He nearly groaned aloud when he identified who it was.

A truck was parked outside one of the houses—the house directly across from his own. A man dressed in a worker's suit was busying around, talking with someone who was shaded from view. Circling around slowly, he peered into the contents of the truck; there was a bed, a couch, and some other household comforts that didn't seem interesting at all.

Tsuna walked up to the man and the other person inquisitively. "Excuse me, did the other owner of the house move?"

"Ah, yes, moved out last night in fact. Were you an acquaintance of his?"

Tsuna nodded innocently. "Yes, he never told me that he was moving out though." He peered around the uniformed man curiously, watching the new neighbor.

The teal-haired bo—er, girl—looked at him dispassionately.

"Hello," Kuroko greeted with a polite bow, "my name is Sato Kasumi."

* * *

"What on earth are you doing?"

Tsuna was, to say the least, not amused. He had spent the entire morning looking for an opportunity to talk to the other boy without Reborn eavesdropping but hadn't found the chance. Unfortunately the quickest time he found was during school break, _after_ Kuroko somehow managed to get himself introduced to his class dressed as a girl, complete with long hair and a skirt.

Kuroko looked at him blankly, the unfamiliar teal hair bobbing to his strides. "I'm spying."

Tsuna curled his lips in distaste, pitching his voice low but not whispering. Whispering drew attention. "Your disguise is unnecessary."

But it wasn't: drastic measures had to have been taken. Silently he thanked Momoi, who had the foresight of keeping Kuroko out of the game the previous day, because even on the court he was hard to notice. Forcing him to sit on the bench only drew more attention away from him, making him completely unrecognizable to anyone. Yet the Teiko records were still there, as well as Kuroko Tetsuya's real name, so a disguise had been needed.

Surely, though, Kuroko could have chosen a better idea.

For appearances sake he pointed at the restrooms, drawing Kuroko's apathetic gaze. "This door here is the _men's_ restroom," he said sardonically, "and this one here is the _ladies'_. Make sure you enter the right one, Kasumi-chan."

"Don't call me that."

He rolled his eyes briefly but didn't argue.

"Tenth!"

Barely refraining from groaning, Tsuna fixed the most amiable smile he could onto his face before turning around. Gokudera was weaving through the crowd, undoubtedly following his brown hair like a dog. The bomber had given him so much trouble in the morning, even going to the lengths of standing outside his door, making it all the harder for him to talk privately with the teal-haired boy. Tsuna had to drag Kuroko out the door when the bell rang to get a minute of private conversation.

Kuroko watched stoically as Gokudera skidded to a halt beside him. He had to hand it to the cross-dresser though; Kuroko had a better blank face than anyone else that he had seen. Even Gokudera's puppy-dog attitude didn't faze him, not at all, although Kise's clingy personality needed to be accounted for.

Gokudera looked over the pair, and his green eyes narrowed in anger. "You!" he snapped, jabbing viciously at Kuroko. "Stay away from the Tenth!"

Kuroko leveled the emotionless stare on him. "I don't want to."

"You—" Gokudera sneered.

Enough was enough; he hadn't expected Gokudera to be such a jealous asshole. "Gokudera-san," he hissed, "I am showing Kasumi-chan around the campus. Whether or not she is with me is none of your concern, is that clear?"

Gokudera dropped his head ashamedly, and the metaphorical tail drooped. "But Tenth—"

He set his teeth. "Leave us, now."

With a hesitant look he acquiesced, although reluctantly.

As the bomber slipped from his sight, the brunet let out a long-suffering sigh. "Finally," Tsuna huffed, knotting his fingers in his hair. "That little _brat._" Kuroko looked at him silently, searchingly, and Tsuna raised an eyebrow at him.

No one was on the roof when they stepped outside, the wind tugging at their hair. "Don't drop it," Tsuna warned when Kuroko made to remove his illusion, and the boy nodded in acknowledgement. They made their way toward the center of the rooftop, where no curious eyes could spot them from below, listening to the occasional crack of the baseball bat from the ground.

He closed his eyes and allowed his senses to take over. In his mind's eye he could _see_ indigo flames covering the other boy's entire form; it seemed as if the girl's uniform was in fact just an illusion. Spreading out further, he braced himself as he registered the flame signatures of everybody in the school. They were all irrelevant, though, compared to the dancing yellow hue of the sun flames buried deep within the building. What Reborn was doing in the school he didn't know, but at least he was nowhere near the duo.

"Camera thirty degrees to your right," Tsuna said calmly, and he gestured at the ground below. For now he had to play this game, since he didn't need to alert Reborn that they were closer than he would think.

Kuroko meandered toward the edge of the roof and peered down. "My illusions don't show up on cameras." The barely audible voice wouldn't be caught on the microphones, and the howl of the wind would dull the rest.

Tsuna smirked, his eyes drifting to the ant-like figures, "But real illusions do." He could see the tall form of Yamamoto, crouching in a batting position, and as the white streak of the baseball connected with the metal a resounding crack sounded in the air. The ball arced through the air, falling short within the field, and Yamamoto's shoulders were slumped when he prepared to swing again.

Leaning against the railing precariously, the illusionist slid his gaze away from the scene. "Sawada-kun, you're staring at that man."

"Oh, you mean Yamamoto Takeshi? He's an acquaintance of mine. Has the rest of the family returned to Teiko?"

"Yes," Kuroko said politely. "Akashi-kun said to call him if there is trouble."

Solemnly he nodded, and he returned his gaze to the campus.

Far below, Yamamoto dropped to the ground with an anguished cry, and he clutched at his deformed arm with a look of utter betrayal. All around the other players were stirring, noticing his distress, and soon shouting enveloped the entire field. From up above Tsuna could barely decipher the words, but the intent was as clear as day:

"His arm's broken!"

"Someone call an ambulance!"

"What about the game?"

He snorted at the paling face of the baseball player on the ground. Such an idiot, Tsuna scoffed, because he couldn't understand why Yamamoto was fine with being just a tool. A tool like Gokudera: meaningless, disposable, replaceable when broken.

"Is something wrong?" Kuroko asked.

Yamamoto pulled away from his teammates, cradling his arm to his chest, fighting to get the smile back onto his face. But he was failing, his face tight with pain, pain from the bent arm and the loss of what truly mattered to him.

Tsuna stepped away from the railing. "Nothing's wrong," he said as he walked toward the rooftop door, and with a silent nod Kuroko kept by his heels.

* * *

Gokudera joined them that lunch, shooting malevolent glares at the teal-haired 'girl' as they settled down on the rooftop. Truthfully Tsuna hadn't wanted the bomber to join them, but with Reborn lingering around he couldn't simply shove him away. But Gokudera's reason irked him to no end, because apparently 'he needed to be protected,' but if Gokudera thought that _he_ could protect _him_ then he was sorely mistaken.

Fighting back a vicious sneer, he returned his attention back to his lunch. Kuroko had somehow managed to secure a meal for the day—a burger and a vanilla shake. If he didn't know him so well he wouldn't have known that Kuroko was contented sipping quietly at the drink, allowing the savory flavor to color his mouth.

"Tenth!" Gokudera exclaimed overenthusiastically, and the bomber sidled up to him without thought of his personal space. "Are you enjoying lunch?"

He smiled at the useless drivel. "It's fine."

The moment the answer came from his mouth he knew that it had been a mistake. Gokudera perked up at the slightest show of camaraderie, scooting closer, much too close. Shooting a not-so subtle glare at Kuroko, Gokudera beamed at him, "Do you need me to get rid of anyone?"

Gritting his teeth, Tsuna suppressed the urge to back away, but it became too hard to ignore and he pushed Gokudera back slightly. "Kasumi-chan is a friend, not a liability, and she has every right to be here," he snapped. "If you object you are free to leave."

"She can't protect you—"

"Nor can you," Tsuna snorted.

Shame colored Gokudera's face, and he ducked his head down embarrassingly. Just as a smirk began to crawl over the brunet's face, he did something that Tsuna never expected: Gokudera shifted until he was on his knees and bowed low to the ground.

"Then I will become stronger until I can protect you!"

Taken aback, he stared blankly as he tried to find something to say; just then Reborn appeared from one of the many passages in the building and walked over to the trio. With a cursory glance at the bomber, the infant stopped in front of Kuroko, intent written across his face.

"Ciaossu," Reborn said, and Kuroko returned the greeting with far less enthusiasm. "I'm Reborn, and I'm a hitman."

The indifferent face didn't change at the revelation.

"Sato Kasumi," Kuroko introduced himself.

"Do you want to join Tsuna's family?"

There was a brief pause in which Gokudera shot daggers at Reborn for suggesting such an abominable idea. Then Tsuna frowned, saying, "I can pick my own family members" just as Kuroko said "Okay." For a moment the two boys stared at each other, but Tsuna relented when he saw the unwavering determination in the other boy's gaze.

"Alright," he grumbled, and Reborn's smirk widened. He could feel the beginnings of his own sneer trying to creep across his face, because really, it was too funny. The triumphant smile of recruiting another guardian made him want to laugh. Because no matter what Kuroko had said, he was already in Tsuna's family, and nothing would ever change that.

* * *

"Yamamoto's going to jump!"

Tsuna narrowed his eyes dangerously. He had known that Yamamoto wouldn't take the broken arm well, but committing suicide was simply ridiculous. Anger burned through his veins at the baseball player's sheer nerve.

He was on his feet before he realized it and headed for the door. He could hear Gokudera running behind him, calling him, and Kuroko, watching with the same impassiveness as always. But he ignored them, shutting them out, because he could only focus on Yamamoto—Yamamoto and his feigned smiles, Yamamoto and his selfish stupidity—and it _infuriated_ him.

Shoving past the mass of bodies, Tsuna made his way past the useless crowd of people who were too scared to get anywhere near the edge of the roof. They were staring, everybody was now, but he didn't care. Yamamoto was standing there by the railing, the same forced smile plastered across his face, watching him as he approached.

"Tsuna," the baseball player said, "what are you—"

Tsuna slapped him.

Yamamoto's face snapped to the side from the force, and he teetered precariously on the ledge. Hand burning, Tsuna forced himself to reign in his anger, but it was like trying to restrain an ocean. He couldn't breathe; he couldn't think, not past the roar of his blood rushing in his head.

Tsuna grabbed the collar of Yamamoto's shirt and bodily lifted him up. "You're so _selfish_," he hissed lowly, "so goddamn _selfish_. You break your arm and you think it's the end of your world. You're such a fucking _coward_, Takeshi!"

Yamamoto stared at him. "You know how much baseball means to me! It's my life, Tsuna, and if I can't play I might as well die!"

"How stupid can you be?" Tsuna snapped. "Your arm can heal with time, what's wrong with waiting?"

"The game, that's what matters! Everybody was counting on me, they always are, and now I—"

"So what?" Yamamoto fell silent, but his voice kept rising. "Your arm can heal, and you can play other games, but you want to run away from it all like the fucking coward that you are! At least you _have_ a life, why don't you appreciate that?" The memory of a certain brunette flashed across his mind, and his throat tightened painfully.

_Nana._

"You think that death is the answer to everything, do you?" he gritted out. "Did you ever think about what other people would feel when you die and leave everybody that cares for you behind? Did you, Takeshi!"

Yamamoto gave him a pained look. "I did—"

"You didn't," Tsuna interrupted nastily, "or you just don't care."

He turned around and walked away.

"All that, and you're walking away?" Yamamoto's voice was strained.

He didn't look back.

"I've said all I needed to say. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Then he was gone.

* * *

Kuroko and Gokudera had seen everything, like half of the school had, and those that didn't know about the shouting match knew by the end of the day. So it was unsurprising that Reborn knew about the entire incident by the time school was over.

The walk home was dreary, though more than once Gokudera punctuated the silence with one of his usual annoying statements. "He upset you, Tenth! I'll kill him!"

It wasn't helping.

After Kuroko slipped into his temporary home, Tsuna slipped into the house. The usual aroma of food greeted him warmly, and he called the customary "I'm home" which was returned with the traditional "Welcome home." Nana's face peered out from the kitchen, and his heart clenched in rage like always whenever he saw the real illusion.

Reborn said nothing about the entire interaction that night, which helped ease his headache a little, though he could always feel the calculative stare puncturing his back. He shouldn't have snapped, he knew that, but he couldn't help it, not when the living reminder of his past was always smiling in his home.

The next morning he woke Reborn up with a gentle call and tossed on another change of clothes. When he stepped outside, someone was waiting by his front gate.

"Yo, Tsuna," the teen greeted, as if nothing had transpired.

"Morning, Takeshi."

Yamamoto smiled.

* * *

差等：Sato/Satou: series of changes  
霞：Kasumi: mist


End file.
